One Day More
by Tayani
Summary: Shizuo wakes up in a strange hospital room, greeted by a stranger with black hair and crimson eyes. He doesn't know what happened, and who his caretaker even is... what's more, why is he so downright creepy? Shizaya with no actual Shizaya action in it.
Shizuo opened his eyes with a groan.

He looked around the pleasant, light room with big window he woken up in, and frowned. Where was he? Why was he there? It kind of looked like a private room in a hospital, but Shizuo knew neither himself nor his parents have money enough to afford being put in something like that - especially considering he looked over himself, and there was no IV, no bandages, no wounds on his body whatsoever.

Did Kasuka pay for it from the money he got for his first movie? That didn't sound good… and his brother didn't get this much for that one in the first place. Shizuo frowned, but before starting to wonder if he had any kind of health insurance studying in Raijin, the door opened and a young man with short, black hair and crimson eyes entered. He wore casual clothes, a smile, and had a tray of deliciously-smelling breakfast in his hands.

"Hello, Shizu-chan!" he chirped in an overly-sweet voice. Shizuo's clueless look turned into a scowl, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Wh-"

"My name is Orihara Izaya! I will be taking care of you today."

The blond blinked, before deciding for another question. Was it this easy to guess the first one? He felt weird… it was almost unsettling, and he didn't know why, the way the raven-haired man looked at him.

"Wh-"

"You are in a private hospital in the northeast of Ikebukuro. You had a minor accident, but the doctors suspect brain damage, so you have been put here on observation." the raven explained cheerfully, once more not letting Shizuo ask his question before answering it. What was he, a psychic or something? The blond frowned and closed his mouth, before shaking his head. He didn't like this smiling guy, that was sure.

"Anyway, here is your breakfast. Omuraisu, a bottle of milk and pudding for little dessert. Have a nice meal!"

"...wow."

Okay. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad; these were all Shizuo's favourite foods. But the moment the tray was set on Shizuo's lap, and he himself took the first look and first bite, he decided it was definitely weird as well, and not in a good way, at all.

The omelette in omuraisu was just slightly cooked, the yellow of the egg still glistening lightly, just how he loved it. The rice was cooked with sugar and milk, making it slightly sweet, and instead of ketchup on top, it was smeared with strawberry jam - and not the disgusting one from every other combini, but the delicious one with whole strawberries, exactly the kind his mum always made when he was little. And the milk wasn't cold, but just slightly colder than the room temperature, and the pudding was his favourite kind. It was a literally perfect meal; so perfect Shizuo didn't question the suspicious raven caretaker before he finished eating.

"No, I'm not a psychic." Izaya replied with another smile one Shizuo swallowed the last mouthful and was about to ask. Instead, he just stared, before grumbling something inconspicuously. He was really, really weirded out by now.

"Why don't Shizu-chan help me dress him, and go out to walk in the garden? It's sunny today." the raven was the one to break the silence, and out of not having any better ideas, Shizuo agreed. The face he was dressing in his favourite, comfortable clothes from home didn't even surprise him at this point. He was still in shock, and tried to keep his distance from the weird raven, not trusting him in the slightest.

Maybe a walk in the park will do him good, after all.

"There. There is a path, but it's alright to walk on the lawn, too. Please do not fall into the pond." Izaya said, making Shizuo scowl. What was he, a child? He obviously won't do anything as stupid as falling into the water when he could plainly see it. He said so, and Izaya only laughed quietly at his gruff response.

A short walk later, Shizuo was already in the garden, and for the first time since waking up, he was left alone. He smiled, feeling the sun on his face, and let his legs carry him across the lawn - good thing Izaya told him it was alright, he didn't see anyone he could ask otherwise. He walked to and fro for a good half-an-hour before deciding to look for the very pond he was supposed not to fall into, out of spite more than anything else. He still didn't like the way the all-knowing caretaker treated him, like a child that couldn't take care of himself. And observing for brain damage? What was _that_ all about? He felt just fine…

Shizuo yelped, when suddenly he felt his feet hit a sort of circle made out of stones, and stumbled, falling face first on the ground. Only it wasn't ground anymore; lost in thoughts, he didn't notice when he arrived at the edge of the little pond, and stumbled right into it, splashing the water everywhere.

And the sigh he heard behind himself didn't help him feeling pathetic.

"I told you not to fall into the pond. Ah, well. Here. Please dry off, your brother came to visit you."

The fact that the insufferable raven knew where to find him, and even had a few towels ready, was so annoying Shizuo would have been seething by now; if not for the information that Kasuka came to see him. _That_ made him smile, and his whole face brighten.

Once he was clean, and in dry clothes, once more seated in his room, the door opened, and his brother came in. He looked tired, and somehow more mature; then again, Shizuo didn't see him ever since he went away to film that movie. He guessed the real job really made his little brother a man.

"Hello, brother."

"Yo, Kasuka! Long time no see." Shizuo said with a smile, watching his brother come inside and sit on one of the chairs in this room. "Can you fill me in on what happened? Oh, and you have to tell me how did the filming go! Have you decided to become a full-time actor then? And who is this guy, the raven-haired one? He's really creepy, I swear…"

They talked - surprisingly, despite having much less to say, Shizuo was the one talking more - and Kasuka seemed to have just as much to tell him about his reason for staying here as the Izaya guy. Either way, they had a pleasant chat; and his brother stayed for dinner, which was, once again, cooked so perfectly to Shizuo's tastes he couldn't believe it; and once Kasuka had to leave, the blond was in considerably better mood than in the morning. He even waved cheerfully when Izaya opened the door and said their visiting time is up.

It was only when Kasuka closed the door to Shizuo's room behind himself that the raven-haired man's face fell into despair, and the actor put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"...are you alright, Izaya-san?" he asked quietly. The raven shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes.

"...you don't have to do this, you know." Kasuka continued, as they walked slowly towards the exit. "I have it easier. He at least remembers _me_ , even if it's the _me_ from five years ago. But for you…"

"I keep hoping, you know." Izaya said in a soft, broken voice. "Every single day, especially after we try some new medication, I go into that room hoping he'll recognise me. It's been three months already, Kasuka. And every day, I get the same, clueless look. And he doesn't remember me, doesn't remember how we first met, how we fell in love, doesn't recognise his own damn fiance! But every evening, he's smiling at me, and I just hope it's the last one, and I still want to be the first one he remembers…" the raven hid his face in his hands. Kasuka patted his back rather awkwardly.

"...do they give him new medicine tonight?"

"Yeah…" Izaya calmed down a bit by now. "It's the fifth try since the accident. If only he would stop losing his memories every night… I could work with that, you know. I don't even mind having to make him fall in love with me from the start. But I can't bear having to introduce myself to him every morning. Kasuka…" the raven sighed, shaking his head.

"...or, if he remembered everything, but was losing memories and needed to relive the same day over and over again, that would be better, as well. But like that…" he shook his head. "It's just the same day, over and over again. The same nightmare."

"Izaya-san, you should really take a break. My brother may not remember you, but I think he would want that, too. You're hurting yourself like that."

Izaya shook his head with a miserable, but determined expression.

"No… just one day. Just one day more."


End file.
